


Of cats and homes

by AtomwaveHeadcanons (ColdAtomHeadcanons)



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Character death: Cat's gone, Hurt/Comfort, I never know what people write in the tags, M/M, another AU, just weird stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 16:58:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8217971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColdAtomHeadcanons/pseuds/AtomwaveHeadcanons
Summary: Ray loves his cat - much more than someone with allergy usually likes cats, he guesses, and he’s pretty sure that his cat loves him. At least if the way Sara falls over his laptop keyboard and demands attention, one that Ray is way too happy to give, is anything to go by.
Sara is not really fond of other people though. Whenever Ray has company, be it male or female, a colleague or someone he’d like to know better, Sara sits in the middle of the hallway, just daring people to walk past her. Or, god forbid, to lean down and try to touch her. When the first happens, Sara usually hunts for legs. When the second happens… well Ray can remember several occasions that he had to take the unfortunate soul to hospital to get quite a few stitches.
The fact is, Sara doesn’t like people. So when Sara comes home one day, an hour after Ray does, all sweet and purring with a note stuck behind her collar, it’s only expected that Ray freaks out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ask: You are doing a public service with this blog, there's nowhere near enough AtomWave in this fandom. Anyway, what are your thoughts on Ray getting a cat (either on the Waverider or maybe for some reason he and Mick live near each other) that decides it loves Mick and wants to spend as much time with Mick as it does with Ray?
> 
> Wrote this LONG time ago, and yes I'm supposed to write new stuff, but I'm... indecisive as to what exactly, so I decided to share this instead.

 

  
Ray loves his cat - much more than someone with allergy usually likes cats, he guesses, and he’s pretty sure that his cat loves him. At least if the way Sara falls over his laptop keyboard and demands attention, one that Ray is way too happy to give, is anything to go by.

Sara is not really fond of other people though. Whenever Ray has company, be it male or female, a colleague or someone he’d like to know better, Sara sits in the middle of the hallway, just _daring_ people to walk past her. Or, god forbid, to lean down and try to touch her. When the first happens, Sara usually hunts for legs. When the second happens… well Ray can remember several occasions that he had to take the unfortunate soul to hospital to get quite a few stitches.

The fact is, Sara doesn’t like people. So when Sara comes home one day, an hour after Ray does, all sweet and purring with a note stuck behind her collar, it’s only expected that Ray freaks out.

* * *

 

There is no blood on her fur anywhere though (thank god) and Ray reaches out for the note, before freaking out _even more_ after reading the written words.

_Your cat is over at my place every day._

… Ray really hopes the person is still alive.

_She eats all my food, leaves fur everywhere and demands attention. She is a pain in the ass._

Ray’s eyes slip to his cat. Sara’s blinking up innocently at him, leaning her head to the side, her eyes wide and Ray licks his lips. Uh-oh.

_So thank you._

Ray blinks and shakes his head before looking at the note again. Surely that’s not what’s written there. Only the words don’t change, don’t disappear and Ray wonders if the guy’s sarcastic, perhaps. The note doesn’t say anything else and he frowns at Sara.

“You’re not to go there anymore, if you’re bothering them.” He huffs at the cat. 

Sara yawns, not looking too impressed or threatened.

* * *

 

Ray tells himself it’s because he wants to know if Sara listens to him - even though that's not probable - or not. He pretends his hand doesn’t shake as he writes the note, and he’s surprised that when Sara sees him doing just that, she jumps in his lap and lifts her head, patiently waiting until Ray can slip it under her collar. She licks his fingers when he pulls back and Ray smiles, nuzzling her head, before he puts her on her tree, and leaves.

If he’s less focused than usually at the meeting, it’s not because of the mysterious person. Not at all.

Sara is not home when Ray returns. It’s not really a surprise and Ray sets himself on making dinner, but he still glances outside into the garden every few minutes.

When she does come back, Ray’s in the middle of eating. She jumps at his knees, purrs loudly and takes a chunk of his chicken. Ray doesn’t mind. His attention is on the paper that he’s currently trying to pry from under Sara’s collar without losing any fingers.

His heart’s beating quickly as he unfolds it and runs his eyes over the writing. The top part is Ray’s - his message from this morning:

_**I’m sorry if she’s too much of a handful. I’d promise I’d stop her from visiting you, but I’m afraid Sara goes where she pleases. I can still pay for the food and cleaners to get the fur out of your things, though. … or I could get you cookies.** _

The next part is new though, and Ray can’t help but smile.

_Sara? Guess there are worse names to give a cat. Also cookies? What are you some kind of girl scout?_

The person doesn’t say no to Sara’s visits, he also doesn’t say no to the cookies. Ray watches Sara for a moment, wondering if she’d be able to carry some the next day… He doubts that, but even if she did, no one would eat sweets from people they don’t know, probably.

Sara turns to glare at him, as if she could hear Ray’s thoughts and Ray snickers.

“Okay, no cookies.” He promises. But no cookies doesn’t mean no note. Ray does need to defend his honor and explain that he is a man after all. And that his cookies are better than those of a girl scouts. 

* * *

 

Somehow, it starts to become a habit. Ray wakes up, writes a note and ties it to Sara’s collar - he should get her something that would make it easier for her to carry it around soon, probably- and goes to work. He’ll return later in the afternoon, make dinner and wait for Sara to come back with a note from the person. Ray gets to know them a little, he knows they are a man, (no, not a minor, you don’t have to worry, Boy Scout), that the guy works from home, at least most of the time. He knows that his favorite color is red and that his parents died in a fire accident. He also knows that his name is Mick and, just recently, Ray found out that Mick’s tom - and Sara’s friend - Len, died just a few weeks ago. That would explain why Sara refused to eat anything at all back then. Ray took her to visit the vet several times, but he never figured out what was wrong. Now the mystery is solved.

Ray learns that he should never order anything from the ‘Trickster’s Pizza’ place, because the son’s owner, Axel, likes to put little surprises inside - Mick learnt the hard way and everything hurt for weeks. He also learns that Mick’s a grumpy cat, generally.

They write about everything and nothing and somehow suddenly, Ray can’t remember a time they didn’t do this.

* * *

 

Everything hurts. Ray’s head is splitting open, he can’t feel his throat and the sun is too bright. He slept in and he can’t even concentrate.

He skips his breakfast and coffee, calls for a taxi and leans against the door for support as he’s waiting. Felicity won’t be happy at all.

* * *

 

Ray's right.

“You’re joking.”  Felicity says, staring at him for all of two seconds before she is picking up her phone and calling a driver. 

“You’re going straight to bed.” She glares at Ray, and Ray’s pretty sure he should fight it, he should argue that he’s needed here, but somehow he can’t lift his head from the table. There is a sticky note on his cheek, Ray can feel it, and yet, he still doesn’t feel strong enough to reach up and pull it off. “I know you don’t think so, Ray, but you _can_ take few days of. Palmertech won’t run to the ground in the time you’ll need to recover.”

She’s huffing and grumbling until Ray’s in the car, and his eyes slip closed. The next thing he knows he’s in front of his house and he struggles out of the car and inside. He doesn’t bother with undressing, he just kicks off his shoes and falls on the couch already asleep before his body manages to land.

He dreams of muttered words and cold hands touching his flaming skin .

* * *

 

Ray’s eyes fly open when Sara jumps on his chest and his breath is knocked out of his lungs. Sara purrs and pushes her face against Ray’s and Ray sneezes, his neck itching a little, already. His nose feels full and his eyes burn.

Ray should probably take the allergy pills. He pats Sara’s back and then reaches out for the table, checking his phone. He needs to check what time it is - if he can still catch Felicity at work, ask her about how the day went while he was away. To see if she needs him to run over  the new programs.

His hand doesn’t reach the table though. Instead, it touches something warm and muscular and Ray’s fingers curl around it - or try to, because the freaking thing is _huge._ Ray blinks and turns his head.

There is a man. A man that’s build like a tree, big and Ray’s pretty sure he sees muscles there and he opens his mouth before he can do a thing about it.

“I didn’t order a stripper.” 

The guy lifts an eyebrow, then snorts and smirks.

“Good to know, Boy Scout.” he huffs and turns walking into the kitchen - _Ray’s_ kitchen - and returning few moments later with soup. He pushes it into Ray’s hands and sits down, turning to the playing TV. 

“Eat.” 

Ray’s vaguely aware that he probably shouldn’t just eat food from strangers, especially strangers that looked like bloody criminals, but his hand brings the spoon up to his lips anyway.

Before he knows it, Ray’s out of it again.

* * *

 

Then next time he wakes his brain is a bit clearer. There is also loud purring. But Sara’s not sitting anywhere near him as he looks around, before his eyes widen. Sara is nuzzling the guy that brought him soup before - and looking as content as she can be. There is only one person that isn’t Ray that Sara didn’t hurt yet.  Ray can be wrong, but his lips still part.

“Mick?” He asks quietly. The guy looks up and smirks.

“Good morning, Pretty Boy.”

* * *

 

After that, their routine changes. Ray goes to work and when he comes back, Mick’s already waiting along with Sara. Ray smiles, bright and happy and opens the door, and going to the kitchen. He prepares food for both of them, makes dessert and eats dinner at the TV with Mick, listening to the man making fun of people on various TV shows. Mick cleans the dishes, say goodbye to Ray and he’ll be back the next day.

* * *

 

“So?” Felicity asks and Ray blinks, looking up from his work. 

“So what?” There is this glint in her eyes, one that Oliver calls dangerous. She grins, steps in and closes the door behind her. 

“Who are they?”

… did Ray miss part of their conversation again? But Felicity rolls her eyes at him and shrugs.

“Your new girlfriend. The person that makes you so happy. Not that you’re not a ray of sunshine usually - pun fully intended - but you didn’t forget yourself at work for hours in _months._ You actually check your time even when you’re in the lab and you are _excited_ about going home. Don’t tell me there is no one special in your life.” 

She has it all wrong.

Ray opens his mouth to tell her that exactly, but the words get stuck in his throat as the memories of Mick, lying around on Ray’s couch appear. The small smirks and the teasing, Mick calling him a Pretty Boy on more occasions than not. Memories of Ray dragging Mick out to the shelter to get a new cat, not one that would replace Len, but one that would make Mick less lonely. He still isn’t sure how great of an idea that was, since Lisa and Sara seem to gang up on the two of them all the time. The memories of Mick helping with the dishes, of the brushes of hips as they stand close to each other. Of the light touches of Mick’s hand in Ray’s hair as Ray’s too busy reading this or that book or a report and Mick offers him a cup of tea. Memories of Ray trying to figure out what would be best food to make for Mick. Of Mick grumbling, but still smirking, of Mick spending time at Ray’s place and Ray at Mick’s. Of the warmth spreading through Ray at the thought of seeing Mick again.

“I need to go.” He says and rushes out of his office, not looking back.

He doesn’t stop to think until he’s inside of his house, breathing hard and staring at Mick spread on his couch, playing around with Sara and Lisa, his laptop on the coffee table and suddenly the reality hits Ray hard.

Mick has to sense something, because he turns to him.

“Welcome home, Pretty Boy.”

Ray doesn’t say anything. He stumbles forward, falling into Mick’s firm chest and kisses him, hard and desperate, keening and wanting more and more. Ray can feel Mick’s arms hugging him closer and the man parts his legs so Ray can fall in between his muscled tights, Mick’s hand finding its way under Ray’s dress shirt, the warmth making Ray shiver.

Ray’s breathing hard as he pulls back, resting his forehead against Mick’s and staring at him. Mick’s fingers are still brushing against his skin and Ray has no idea what he’s supposed to say. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize? Why didn’t you say anything? What even _is_ this thing?  

None of those sound good enough though, so instead Ray closes his eyes and smiles.

“I’m home.” 

He feels Mick’s hand running over the side of his face, cradling it, before the man kisses him again.

“Good.”


End file.
